Casma Pottery Production at El Campanario Site, Huarmey Valley, Peru

Summary

Pottery production was an important aspect of the social and economic life within Andean societies. In pre-industrial societies craft production occurred at the household level and depending upon the social complexity, this production was either independent or sponsored by the elite. Recent archaeological excavation of domestic contexts at the El Campanario site revealed that the area was occupied by the Casma polity during the Middle Horizon (600-1000 AD). This coastal polity occupied the southern region of Peru’s northern coast and their distinctive ceramic style included Casma Molded, Casma Incise, and Casma Serpentine Applique. These styles were also recovered at El Campanario along with evidence of pottery production; moreover, molds, polishing stones, deformed vessels, and unfired clay suggest the presence of a pottery workshop at the site. In addition, the presence of potter’s marks on some of the recovered pottery and the restricted distribution of pottery molds at the site suggests that pottery production did not occurred within each household, instead it is most likely that pottery production at El Campanario was conducted in a specialized and communal workshop.